Polk County’s COVID-19 numbers are continuing to decline. The 2,413 new infections reported this week represent the lowest number since mid-July, a time when the current surge was beginning to accelerate. Testing positivity was down to 11.4% from a high of 28.9% in mid-August.
Category: Health
Posted inHealth
Publix, Other Sites Offering Pfizer Vaccine Boosters
Publix pharmacies in Polk and three other Florida counties began providing Pfizer vaccine booster shots today to eligible people: those 65 or older or immunocompromised people who received two doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at least six months ago.
Posted inHealth, People
Lakeland Woman’s Invention Helps Families Deal With Grief of Stillbirths
Lakeland Regional Health now has a Caring Cradle, an invention by a Lakeland woman designed to assist families grieving over a stillbirth or the death of a newborn.
Posted inHealth
Lakeland Regional Health Waiting for Guidance on Staff Vaccinations
Lakeland Regional Health is waiting for federal guidelines before figuring out how to ensure hospital employees and associates are vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, as required by an executive order from President Joe Biden.
Posted inActivism, Health
Roger Stone Fires Up Crowd at Rally Opposing Vaccine Mandates
A passionate speech by conservative political consultant Roger Stone fired up a crowd of nearly 250 people at a Lakeland rally supporting the right of health-care workers to reject an employer’s vaccine mandate.
Posted inHealth
New COVID Infections in Polk Decline Sharply for a Third Straight Week
The rate of new COVID-19 cases in Polk County declined steeply this week for a third week in a row, according to the latest update from the Florida Department of Health. For the first time in nearly two months, the number of new infections — 3,233 — is below the previous high of 3,579 last […]
Posted inHealth
Polk Commission Rejects Combee’s Letter on Ivermectin
Polk County Commissioner Neil Combee wanted the other commissioners to sign a letter he wrote to Gov. Ron DeSantis promoting the public’s right to try unapproved COVID treatments, but they declined to go along in a 3-2 vote this morning. With only Bill Braswell, supporting the letter, Combee said he would send the letter on […]
Posted inHealth, People
Friends Share Memories of Teacher, 24, Who Died from COVID
Friends and family are mourning D’Anthony Dorsey, a 24-year-old marine biology teacher who was infected with COVID-19 and spent three weeks on a ventilator before dying Tuesday night, WFLA reports. “He was a good player for us but just, a better human. Just a solid kid,” said Bill Castle, who coached Dorsey when he was […]
Posted inHealth
New COVID Cases in Polk Decline for a Second Week
A downturn in new COVID-19 cases in Polk County continued for a second straight week as the Florida Department of Health reported 4,787 new infections here. That’s 1,387 fewer new cases than were reported last week, the largest one-week drop to date. Still, the past week’s total was the sixth highest since the coronavirus crisis […]
Posted inHealth
County Commissioners Will Revise Their Letter on COVID Treatments
Polk County commissioners today decided to reword their letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis about alternative COVID-19 treatments such as ivermectin after getting feedback on the issue in a public meeting today, The Ledger reports. The head of Polk’s health department urged commissioners not to send the letter, saying, “I think you’re sending a message to […]